A Hennepin County jury found Ryan Charles Rooney, 36, guilty on Thursday of first and second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of his wife, Samantha Rose Columbus Boshey, 29, at an Eden Prairie hotel in 2021. The two had been married on Aug. 30, 2021.
The verdict, which comes two years after the incident, means Rooney faces a mandatory life sentence with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Sentencing is set for Dec. 4.
“Today’s guilty verdicts hold Mr. Rooney accountable for this senseless and devastating murder,” said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty in a statement after the verdict. “I am grateful to the jury for their service throughout the trial and my thoughts are with those affected by Mr. Rooney’s actions, especially the two young children exposed to this horrific event at such an early age.”
According to the criminal complaint, Eden Prairie police were called for a welfare check at the Residence Inn Hotel, 7780 Flyind Cloud Drive, on Nov. 2, 2021. Hotel staff became concerned after the occupants missed their checkout date and were unresponsive to communication attempts.
Not long after officers gained entry into the two-story room and announced their presence, Rooney reportedly walked down the stairs from the room’s second level with a small child. Officers saw that Rooney, whose address in the complaint was listed as the extended-stay hotel, had a gunshot wound under his chin and an exit wound to the top of his head.
While checking the room, officers found another small child in a crib in the main-level bedroom. The children were determined to be 1 and 2 years old.
Officers also found two baggies of suspected methamphetamine and noticed a pistol holder on Rooney. Police asked him where the gun was, and he indicated it was upstairs.
Officers checked the second level and located Boshey dead from an apparent gunshot wound to the center of her chest.
The county crime lab later located a 9mm Ruger LCP handgun on the second floor. One round was found in the wall behind Boshey; a second round was lodged in the ceiling. The complaint stated that a tray of methamphetamine was found on the toilet in the bathroom, “easily accessible to a small child.”
After being arrested, Rooney told police that he and Boshey were the only people inside the hotel room. He also stated that he did not know why he shot Boshey.
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